Question of the Month of February, 2000 - Michel Fortin
The following is Michel Fortin's brief answer to a question selected among hundreds if not thousands that he receives each week. For more information on critique consultations, see http://SuccessDoctor.com/booster.htm.
From the Marc Templin
"I read your latest article, 'What's Your Visitor's UPA?' with great interest. I understand most of it, except for the point you were trying to make with the chair and table, as well as the tennis ball and a soccer ball. I've read it over and over again, but I simply don't get it. You seem to be saying that the difference is not their size, it's their size? This makes no sense to me, and whatever the point is that you're trying to make to me is less than obvious. I'm feeling cheated, like I've missed the joke that everyone's howling over. It's leaving me so uncomfortable and baffled that I'm moved to write this inquiry for further explanation."
Marc, don't feel cheated because in reality you are proving my student's point! You see, you are thinking in relative terms, which is how most people think. Be logical for a moment. The difference (think about this) is "size." But if I'm describing two different sizes (or functions, or whatever), I'm not directly answering your question but merely describing two different characteristics. I'm only relating the difference.
Essentially, what you want is to know the difference between two elements and not what makes them different. If I told you what makes them different through comparison, at best responding in such a manner can only imply the difference.
Here's another example (and this is a different example but I think you'll get the point). If I asked you what color is the sky, rather than telling me "blue" (the direct, logical answer) you'll probably answer with "it's the same color as my car," "it's not red," etc. In other words, you are relating it to something else.
You're thinking in relative terms. Most of us do. You were baffled, which is exactly the point I tried to make. Many web sites provide content that only the seller or webmaster understands -- content that may also be understood by only one segment of the population but is hard to relate to for others.
Therefore, when writing web copy use comparisons, analogies or metaphors so that the mind can understand what it is being told. If I told you "140 acres of land," this is a logical measurement -- but your mind may still not grasp the meaning of it. You may ask yourself, "What the heck is the size of 140 acres anyway?"
On the other hand, it will be easier for your mind to relate it to something else in order to understand the size (or the value) of 140 acres. For example, if I added "140 acres is like 200 football fields back-to-back," your mind will now understand
because it can relate 140 acres to something it already knows.
The long and short of it is this: Is your site confusion-proof? Can your target market relate to the message it is conveying? For example, if your site is trying to sell a newfangled type of fax machine to people who may have never owned or even used one, do you explain it in a way that makes your product (let alone fax machines in general) easy to appreciate by most people?
I think you understand.
Michel Fortin
The Success Doctor
About the Author
Michel Fortin is an author, speaker and Internet marketing consultant dedicated to turning businesses into powerful magnets. Visit http://SuccessDoctor.com. He is also the editor of the "Internet Marketing Chronicles" ezine delivered weekly to 100,000 subscribers -- subscribe free at http://SuccessDoctor.com/IMC/.
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